Motives and Morals
by MudbloodSlytherin88
Summary: Argus Filch is handsome, rich, and in line to become the next Minister of Magic. Pureblood mania is rampant, Squib Rights are scoffed at, and protests and attacks litter London. Thrust in the midst of it all, Argus must decide where his loyalty lies. His morals and motives are questioned, and the path that lays before him is unknown.
_I have been toying around this idea for a while and finally decided to write it. I have the major plot points figured out, but as of right now I have no idea how long it will be. It's been years since I have done any writing and this is my first fan fiction, as well. I hope you all enjoy! *If you have any constructive criticism, I am sure I could use it!* And, thank you for reading!_

Sunlight filtered in through the silk drapes of the master suite in Filch Manor, casting a glow on the handsome face of the man who lay sleeping. He squinted in his sleep, making the fine lines that graced his forehead more prominent, on face to young to have such lines.

At 20, Argus Filch had more on his shoulders than any man his age should. Three years prior, he had graduated Hogwarts, top of his class and Head Boy, and went straight to the Ministry as Junior Assistant to the Minister. It was pure luck he scored such a job right after graduation. A job opening, perfect grades and an impeccable reputation had came together like a blessing from Merlin himself.

The blessing was more of a curse lately, and Argus had found himself thrown in the middle of Squib Rights and Pureblood fanatics, riots, protests and attacks. The Pure Blood mania of late was getting out of hand, and as Minister Jenkin's right hand man, he was doing more than his fair share of work to help combat the war that was about to rage.

The night before was one of the most grueling yet. A peaceful protest from a group of Squibs had gathered in Diagon Alley, trying to gather supporters for Squib Rights. Another group had attacked and scattered, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Argus had been thrust in the middle of the investigation, gathering information for the Minister.

He had made it home only an hour or two before the sun rose, and the pesky sunlight drenching his face refused to let him sleep anymore. He was due back the office first thing with a report for the Minister detailing the events of the night before, so he gave up hope of another hour or so of sleep, charmed the floor so it was warm on his bare feet and climbed out of bed.

"Juniper!", he called. With a pop, a tiny house elf appeared.

"Good morning, Young Master! You should still be in bed! You need rest!", she exclaimed. She grabbed her Master's hand attempted to pull him back to bed, her feet slipping and sliding as she tried to force the man to lay back down.

Argus just laughed. He was rather fond of the elf and how motherly she had become since his own mother had passed away a few years before. It was just him and Juniper in the large family manor these days, and she had made it her duty to not only care for the manor and her Master, but for her Master's wellbeing, as well.

"Junie, you know I have a report due to Jenkin's first thing, there is no time for rest right now. I should have been gone sooner."

"Hmph!", Juniper remarked. "I don't know how you expect to work well if you can't even sleep! That Jenkin's works you to hard! You are practically doing her job!".

"Juniper, don't speak ill of the Minister. It's because of her I have this job. I may be doing a bit more work than I should, but it will all pay off in the long run. We both want me to be Minister one day, don't we?".

The house elf took a deep breath, faced her Master and forced a smile.

"Not another word Master, if that's what you wish.".

She turned and marched into his closet, and Argus could have sworn he heard her muttering something about a barmy old coote under her breath. He just smiled and sighed, then took the robes she had carried from his closet.

"Well, I will just be off then. No need to wait up, I'm sure it will be another long night." Argus said.

"Oh, no. No. No. No. You will be having breakfast before you leave, Master. Juniper refuses to let you leave again without eating!".

"I have to get going, I.." Argus started. "Juniper, did you hide the Floo Powder again?".

Juniper just smiled and dusted something green and suspicious off her apron.

"Kitchen. Ten minutes!" she demanded, and vanished with a small pop.

Argus managed to make it to work a half hour later, and ended up wishing he had just stayed home. The Ministry was still in chaos from the night before. The attack on the Squibs had left one dead, several injured and a significant amount of damage to Diagon Alley. The attackers had fled immediately, leaving only the group of Squibs to gather information from. Ministry officials were sure someone in Diagon Alley had seen what had happened, but everyone was refusing to admit to seeing anything. Bad things had been happening to anyone who came forward with information when there was an attack, and the attacks were happening more frequently. Muggleborns and Squibs were mostly on the receiving end, and there were rumors of it happening to Muggles, as well.

Before he could even make it to his office, a purple flying paper airplane zoomed through the air and hovered in front of his face. He reached out and grabbed it, discovering it was a memo from the Minister, requiring his presence at a private meeting in five minutes time. Oddly enough, it was down in the dungeons. Argus frowned, wondering why it was taking place there, when there was more than enough places to hold meetings above ground.

He headed towards the lifts, hoping he had enough time to make it there without being late. He knew Juniper had meant well that morning, but being late for a meeting he was specifically required to attend by the Minister wouldn't look good on him. He impatiently tapped his foot, his forehead creased with the lines that appeared when he was stressed. Finally the lift arrived, took him down to the dungeons and he rushed out, taking a corner a bit to fast and ended up bumping quite hard into someone. The man he bumped into sneered as he turned around, his long blond hair whipping around.

"Argus!" Abraxas Malfoy exclaimed. "Good to see you, my boy!" His face turned from a sneer to smile when he realised who had bumped into him. "I haven't seen you much since your mother's funeral, but I hear you have made quite a name for yourself around the Ministry. Good for you. This place needs a few good Purebloods around here, especially after that last Minister. A Muggleborn Minister, the audacity!"

"Mr. Malfoy! I wasn't expecting to see you here." Argus replied.

"Yes, well. I am on the Wizengamot now, and I heard the Ministry was holding the Squibs that caused last night's ruckus for questioning. I wanted to make sure a proper punishment was handed out. This whole thing could have been avoided if they had just known their place. Ah, here is the Minister!".

Jenkins stepped out of the lift with a group of people behind her, and relief flooded through Argus. He couldn't be late if he arrived before her. Thanking Merlin silently, he was swept into the dungeon behind the Minister and Abraxas, and several others that had come down with Jenkins. He had never been in this particular room before, and he let out a gasp when he saw inside.

Abraxas leaned in and whispered "Appalling, isn't it? So many quibs. Disgusting."

Argus was appalled, not by the squibs, but rather how he found them. A dozen or so people were tied up and locked in a cell, some slumped against the stone walls, others lying on the floor. He was confused as to what was going on. Why were they being treated as if they were prisoners? They had a peaceful protest, asking for the same rights that witches and wizards had. They were the ones that were attacked!

Jenkins walked over to him.

"Filch, thank you for rounding this group up last night. Do you have your report ready?", she asked.

"Yes, I do. But when I gathered everyone for questioning last night, I didn't expect this! I sent everyone over to Rosier in the Auror Department after getting everyone's information", Argus told her.

"Yes," Jenkins replied. "And Rosier had everyone sent down here until we could decide what to do with them."  
She looked at Argus with a peculiar look on her face, shook it off and called attention to the group.

"Everyone here has been briefed on the events of last night. A group of squibs were protesting for equal rights, they were attacked, then the attackers fled. We have very little information on the other group, and we haven't had any witnesses come forward. Now, the maximum time we can hold someone without an arrest is 12 hours. This group here doesn't seem to have actually broken any laws, so I have no choice but to release them. I have someone coming in to demand that they stop with these ridiculous protests. We have been dealing with this for months now, and it is time we all come together as a unified group. We have coddled them to much these past few months, but it is time we take a stand. There are no laws that state Squibs have equal rights, or deserve fair wage. It has always been this way, and there is no sense in giving into them now. I trust you all to stand behind me and uphold the laws we have abided by for many years. Someone will come in shortly and release this group. Thank you all for your time".

A round of applause scattered throughout the dungeon, while Argus stood there gobsmacked. The Minister walked over to him.

"Good job again, Filch. You look a little tired. I understand you have been taking on a lot around here, so take the rest of the day off." She clapped him on the back and walked off, and Argus rushed from the dungeon and into the empty hallway.

He felt sick to his stomach and his head was spinning. He had no idea when he was asked to gather everyone together the night before, he was rounding them up to be carted off to the dungeon, tied up and locked in a cell. This wasn't right. He had stood side by side with the Minister, only to be thrown into the middle of something he knew was wrong.

Argus slumped down against the wall, questioning his position at the Ministry and wondering which way he was to turn now. This ordeal with the Squibs was snowballing. The general consensus what that Squibs didn't deserve equal rights. If he stood up for them now, he'd be fired on the spot! His position now was the best place for him if he wanted to be Minister one day.

He slowly walked towards the lifts, and decided to take Jenkins up on her offer of calling it an early day. Thoughts and question raced through his mind and he questioned the only two things he had left in his life, his desire to be Minister and his morals.


End file.
